Urban Walks

During the rainy months, when trails often become too muddy for easy walking, consider taking an urban hike. In San Francisco, a new edition of Stairway Walks in San Francisco by Adah Bakalinsky, available through Wilderness Press (www.wildernesspress.com), describes public stairways and unusual urban walks unique to San Francisco. Bakalinsky combines dozens of her favorite stairways into 27 guided neighborhood walks. Across the Bay, the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association (BPWA) sponsors walks along local lanes and steps as well as work parties to clear plants from paths and stairways in Berkeley. Upcoming walks include:

February 8, Rock Parks of Berkeley, Marilyn Siegel (510) 549-2908.

March 1, Exploring South Side Paths, Helen Wynne (510) 843-5738.

BPWA recently produced a map, “Berkeley’s Pathways,” to build awareness of the city’s extensive network of public footpaths. To find out more, visit www.berkeleypaths.org.